Archive for May 26, 2015

Syria’s Ancient City of Palmyra Still Remains Intact

Jewish presence at Palmyra is exhibited by the opening verses of the Shema carved into a stone doorway, to-date, the longest carved Hebrew inscription found from antiquity.

By REUTERS

 

BEIRUT – The Syrian government’s antiquities chief said on Tuesday the historical city of Palmyra had been unharmed since the Islamic State group seized it from state control last week.

The Shema inscription found in a doorway in Palmyra, photogrphed in 1884 . – S. Landauer

Maamoun Abdulkarim said was still afraid the jihadist group would blow up ancient ruins at Palmyra including tombs and the Temple of Bel, which would be viewed as idolatrous in its puritanical vision of Islam. Continue Reading »

Israir Airbus Passenger Jet Confiscated in Portugal Over Alleged Debt

Israir Airlines says 7 yr-old court proceedings are still ongoing and was ‘very surprised’ of the seizure by Portuguese airlines, EuroAtlantic.

By Itay Blumenthal

 

An Israir Airlines plane was confiscated in Lisbon on Monday night following a claim by EuroAtlantic Airways that the Israeli company owes “tens of millions of euros”.

Israir Airbus A320 (Photo: Zohar Azar)
Israir Airbus A320 – Photo: Zohar Azar

Sources told Ynet that the seizure of the plane led to the cancellation of a flight from Eilat to central Israel, leaving dozens of Israelis stranded in the southern city.

The timing was unfortunate for Israir, which saw another one of its planes make an emergency landing earlier in the day because of a faulty engine. Continue Reading »

Soldier Court-Martialed For Publicly Debasing IDF Has Become Left’s Hero

Israel’s left-wing daily, Haaretz, praises soldiers who said to German TV audience that IDF conditions its soldiers to treat Arabs as subhuman.

By Gil Ronen

 

The Left’s new hero is Corporal Shachar Berrin, who serves as a combat soldier in the Home Front Command (HFC). Berrin was lauded in Haaretz‘s main editorial Monday and was glorified in at least two articles by the paper’s pundits, Gideon Levy and Uri Misgav, as well as in other left-wing and anti-Israeli websites.

Corporal Shachar Berrin, screenshot

Berrin’s “heroic” action was a monologue on German TV channel Deutsche Welle‘s show, The New Arab Debates, hosted by Tim Sebastian, which was taped in Jerusalem about two weeks ago.

Continue Reading »

UN Runs Palestinian Schools That Indoctrinate Hatred Of Jews & the West Pays For It

In an exclusive interview, Col. Richard Kemp, former commander of British Forces in Afghanistan says peace is far from breaking out, as he comments on the conflict with Hamas, the battle for public opinion, the ethics of war, & changes needed for peace.

By Judith Bergman

 

Col. Richard Kemp, CBE, has been spending time in Israel, where he spoke at Shurat Hadin’s “Towards a ‎New Laws of War” Conference, and at Bar-Ilan University, which bestowed him with an honorary ‎doctorate in recognition of his stalwart battle against terrorism and terrorist organizations. Kemp, now ‎retired from the British Army, was commander of the British forces in Afghanistan in 2003 and served in ‎Iraq, the Balkans and Northern Ireland. Continue Reading »

Diplomatic Disaster Averted by Israel’s Cooperation With Nuclear Ban Treaty Diplomats

In a dramatic show of support for Israel at the UN nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty conference last week, the US vetoed an Egyptian-led drive for a Mid-East nuclear weapons ban.

 

Israel’s ongoing cooperation with diplomats involved in efforts to set up a regional dialogue over weapons of mass destruction helped it avoid a bad outcome during a UN conference last week, an arms control expert said on Monday.

A nuclear test explosion from April 1954 is shown in this undated photo from the US Defense Department – Photo: REUTERS

In recent days, the US vetoed an Egyptian-led drive on a possible Middle East nuclear weapons ban at a UN nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) conference. Continue Reading »

Economist Reports: Israel’s new right-wing gov’t harms its foreign relations

Report in UK based publication details series of political challenges before Israel’s latest coalition gov’t, implying PM Netanyahu is leaning further right.

By Ynet

 

The influential magazine The Economist, claimed in an article published Sunday that the guidelines of the new Israeli government further undermine the already fragile relations between Jerusalem and the world.The Economist page on facebook

The article analyzes the sensitive situation of Israel’s foreign relations, detailing a list of difficulties with which Netanyahu is dealing with these days, starting with the French initiative to recognize a Palestinian state, then the possible European Union boycott of products made in the settlements, and concluding with the demand to suspend Israeli football from international play. Continue Reading »

Muslim Incitement backfires at the Temple Mount

Waqf incitement boomerangs badly after Arab mob drives Sheikh Ahmed Helayel, Jordan’s head Islamic Judge out of Al Aqsa Mosque for not ‘leading Islamic army.’

By Ari Soffer

 

Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem have long been the target of a campaign of harassment and intimidation by Islamist groups.

Muslim extremists regularly confront Jewish visitors with verbal – and occasionally physical – abuse, often in large crowds, with the aim of discouraging Jews from setting foot on the holiest site in Judaism – which also houses the Al Aqsa Mosque complex that is built atop the ruins of two Jewish temples. Continue Reading »

A Dozen Countries With Different Problems Look to Israel to Boost Milk Production

Israel’s dairy cows have become the most productive in the world through the use of technology and science.

By Reuters

 

Decades ago Israeli dairy farmers confronted a quandary – how could they provide milk to a fast-growing population in a country that is two-thirds desert, with little grazing land?

Cows wearing digital collars eat at dairy farm in Kibbutz Yad Mordechai – Photo: Reuters

They turned to technology, developing equipment that boosted output – from cooling systems to milk meters and biometrics – and have made Israeli cows the most productive in the world.

Science rules today, with cows’ health, output, genetics and fertility closely monitored by management systems. Continue Reading »

2 millennia old, 13-mile subterranean aqueduct unearthed in Jerusalem

Road workers in Umm Tuba, a neighborhood in Israel’s capital, discovered section of subterranean aqueduct built by Hasmonean kings to bring water to Jerusalem for 2 millennia, up until a century ago.

By Yori Yalon

 

A section of a subterranean aqueduct that brought supplied water to the city of Jerusalem 2,000 years ago was recently unearthed in the neighborhood of Umm Tuba during preparations to lay a new sewer pipe.

The section of the ancient conduit, which was the city’s main source of water for two millennia – Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority/Assaf Peretz

Now that part of the aqueduct has been uncovered, the Israel Antiquities Authority has set up an official archeological excavation at the site. Continue Reading »

Erdogan boasts about Turkish APC, but mum it was jointly manufactured with Israel

 

Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, had to figuratively wipe egg of his face this weekend.

The Hurricane, manufactured jointly with an Israeli firm, Hatehof - Photo: Hatehof, LTDThe Hurricane, manufactured jointly with an Israeli firm, Hatehof – Photo: Hatehof, LTD

According to a report in the Turkish daily newspaper Zaman, the firebrand leader paid a visit to the pavilion hosting the International Defense Industry Fair in Istanbul, during which he boasted of his nation’s growing influence in the global arms trade. Continue Reading »

Substantial Losses in Syria Forces Hezbollah to Publicize Success With Tunnels to Israel

As the militant Shiite organization is mired in Assad’s war in Syria, Hezbollah invites a reporter to visit its upgraded tunnels & fortifications, emphasizing that the border with the Zionists is still their central frontline.

By Roi Kais

 

A rare glimpse into Hezbollah’s underground tunnels was provided on Friday by Lebanese publication As-Safir, which is associated with the militant organization.

Purported Hezbollah tunnel, from As-Safir

 

The report praised Hezbollah’s activities and painted it as a strong army ready for battle. While it is difficult to verify the claims in the article, it contained a rare discussion of the tunnels by Hezbollah members. Continue Reading »

WATCH: Whenever a disaster strikes, the IDF is one of the first to volunteer

Israel’s national policy of ‘Tikun Olam’ (repairing the world) has been consistent, by sending 24 delegations to 22 countries, that have been struck by disasters in the last 30 years.

By Israel Today Staff

 

When countries have been struck by natural disasters, the IDF regularly lends a helping a hand and has sent delegations of medical and rescue staff to those places. The delegations consist mostly of specially trained reserve soldiers from the IDF’s Search and Rescue Unit.

IDF soldiers at humanitarian field hospital assembled in Nepal – Photo courtesy: IDF Spokesperson unit

In total, 24 delegations have been sent to 22 countries that have been struck by disasters in the last 30 years. Continue Reading »

World Bank: Unemployment rate in Gaza is among highest in the world

The World Bank’s report said that to rebuild Gaza’s economy, “a unified Palestinian gov’t in both the West Bank & Gaza” was required.

By i24news

 

The Gaza Strip has the world’s highest unemployment and Palestinians, Israelis and donors must take action to avoid a “dangerous fiscal crisis,” the World Bank said Friday.

UNRWA continues to distribute food to 830,000 refugees in Gaza. – Photo: UNRWA

The report, prepared ahead of the bi-annual meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) which coordinates international donor support for the Palestinians, comes nearly a year after the 50-day conflict between Gaza militants and Israel, in which around 2,200 Palestinians were killed. Continue Reading »

Video + Photo Album: Israel’s Navy Patrol Boat Squad

An up close view of the #914 Patrol Boat Squad of the IDF’s Navy.

By Yissachar Ruas

 

Haifa Navy Base. It’s just another standard day in the #914 Patrol Boat Squad, where various types of weapons are laid out for inspection after having been thoroughly oiled and cleaned.

After inspection, all weapons are reassembled and mounted on to the “Dvora” class patrol boat #814 which, as goes with an old Navy tradition, has the un-complimenting name – “The Monsters”.

#814 is leaving the harbor with the Commander of the #914 Patrol Boat Squad – Captain Yishai Cohen.  Cohen studied at the Kfar HaRoe Yeshiva High School before graduating from the Navy’s Academy. Continue Reading »

A score of Israeli technologies offers pragmatic solutions for future agricultural problems

Arid climate and barren land in Israel forced its settlers to find innovative ways of farming, that is helping deal with the planet’s ever-increasing demand for food.

By Robert Swift from The Media Line

 

Ten billion people. That is the number of mouths that farmers will have to feed in another two decades. In order to do this food production needs to increase by 70 percent.

Israeli farmer in southern Israel (File photo)
Israeli farmer in southern Israel (File photo)

“In recent years, due to the over usage of soils there are more problems with insects and diseases. At the same time, there is increased regulation on the usage of chemicals,” Yuval Fradkin, the head of Futura Graft told The Media Line.

Continue Reading »